It really does make sense.

This could rank as one of the easiest posts I’ve ever written and probably the shortest. After all, why belabor the point when the subject and point are so obvious? In any case, it certainly ranks as some of the best advice I’ve ever given to users of iPlayerHD’s video hosting platform as well as anyone else using a video hosting platform similar to iPlayerHD. As you’ll see, it truly makes sense.

By now, most of us are familiar with cloud storage providers like Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Box. These companies make it very simple to upload and store our most important data and files. Files can be manually uploaded and stored or automated features can be configured so files are uploaded on a schedule that makes sense to the user.

While smaller files upload in seconds, larger files can take much longer. For example, a ten minute HD video with a bitrate of 25 mbps can easily exceed 2 to 3 GB. Upload speeds vary by ISP so the time it takes to upload varies but large files can take some time. And while they are uploading, they can use up valuable machine resources though that’s less the case today then a few short years ago. Just the same, it often makes sense to upload after hours, when the machine is idle.

Where is the value?

So where is the value of a cloud storage provider to anyone using a video hosting platform besides the fact that cloud storage services are crazy cheap? There are two primary benefits.

First, anyone with video assets should have them stored somewhere in the Cloud, preferably to one of the providers I mentioned earlier or to any of the other, smaller providers. Believe it or not, many businesses with video assets do not store them in the cloud though I’ve not seen any specific data on the ratio of those who do and who do not. But my personal observations here at iPlayerHD indicate a sizable group have not yet joined the cloud revolution. Contrary to any security fears that may be propagated by the news media, files in the cloud are more secure than on your own machine. I know of no instance where a file was lost in cloud storage, except by user error. But we all have experienced personal loss of files on our local machines and we certainly know lots of friends and colleagues who can claim the same.

So your files are safe in the cloud. Oh, and by the way, if you do delete a file in the cloud, chances are your provider has a tool to help you recover that file. So all is not lost through user error. That’s often not the case with your machine when you delete a file, especially a larger video file.

And of course you can access your files in the cloud from any machine. That’s convenient.

Measure twice. Cut once.

The second reason why anyone with video assets should have them stored in the cloud relates to your use of a video hosting platform. Many platforms, including iPlayerHD, offer a feature that allows it’s users to upload their video files directly from their cloud provider. With the exception of iCloud (Apple – big surprise right?), most cloud providers (all of the above mentioned included) offer an API that companies like iPlayerHD can integrate into their upload platforms, making it extremely easy and extremely fast to upload small and large video files.

Did I mention fast? I’ve seen files as large as 1 to 2 GB transferred to iPlayerHD in less than ten seconds. Try that at home or at your office. Not going to happen. The cloud providers have access to the fattest pipes on the web and proprietary relationships with the likes of Amazon Web Services and others that provide technology to video hosting providers. So your videos are transcoded faster, making them available for you to post to your website and otherwise share much quicker then when you upload from your machine.

Any video that you plan on posting to the web must be uploaded at least once. If that one time is to a cloud storage provider, then I would argue that you are killing two birds with one stone (that’s a morbid thought – who doesn’t like birds?). Upload once. Gain the peace of mind that your precious file is secure. From that point on, uploading to any number of video hosting providers including YouTube, Vimeo and iPlayerHD, is like a warm summer breeze.

Make sense? I thought you’d agree.

Happy uploading!

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